Today’s Meditation

The servant girl said to Naaman’s wife, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

-2 Kings 5:3 (NIV)

If this story were being made into a Hollywood movie, the title role of Naaman would probably be played by a famous, handsome leading man. On the other hand, the part of the nameless captive girl would probably be played by a less-than-famous, less-thanglamorous character actress. But in fact the girl captive is central to the plot. God chooses to heal Naaman through Elisha not because Naaman had won any particular favor with God; Naaman’s healing was to demonstrate to the unnamed, doubting king of Israel that “there is a prophet in Israel,” that God was active in that time and place. In this story, the lives of both the captive girl and Naaman reveal God’s power.

We are often told that the world does not revolve around us. But the story of Naaman and the captive girl suggests that even our own lives do not revolve around us. We are not stars of our own biographical movies but players in the larger story of God’s kingdom. “What have I done to deserve this?” is not the right question in times of either blessing or tribulation. Instead we can ask, “How can I be useful in God’s kingdom in my present circumstances?”

Michael Macdonald

(North Carolina, USA)

Prayer:
O God, help us to see our role in your story and to live it faithfully. Amen.

Thought for the Day:
Each one of us has a role to play in God’s story of redeeming the world.